European Masters Picks, Predictions, Odds, April 23

• The group stages of the European Masters resumes on Saturday with six games
• Fnatic TQ finding some form at just the right time
• BDS Academy look to re-find fluency against inconsistent ESCA Gaming

Fnatic TQ

Biofrost vs Fnatic TQ Prediction

A Reverse Fixture With Spice

Fnatic TQ didn’t have to stretch to win the previous bout 1-0. That, interestingly, is Biofrost’s only loss so far in the group stage campaign of the main road. Both sides are currently in knockout contention with a 2-1 record, but the pressure is on Biofrost to do the running because you don’t want to be 2-2 with two games left. That is simply way too much pressure heading into the final two games.

That said, neither Team BDS Academy nor Team ESCA Gaming has shown consistency. So, Biofrost may yet be safe but you don’t want to leave it right till the end, do you? Fnatic TQ was at the receiving end of ESCA Gaming’s mercurial ways. Just when you thought they had reached a point of no return, ESCA stunned Fnatic.

So pulling off a Houdini act isn’t entirely beyond them. There may be another twist in the tale as the group stages veer to a close. It’s not as if Biofrost has made it here by default. They won four of their six games on the play-in stage. Yes, they are the underdogs but don’t count them out for a fight.

Biofrost – Firmly a Second-Place Contender

It speaks of Biofrost’s tenacity that they’re now talked of as a possible second qualifier from this group along with Fnatic TQ. Team BDS Academy was heavily favored to be that team, purely because players from academy teams have had sizeable experience playing and building towards the main squad.

Example: BEAN and Crownshot. This is precisely why ESCA Gaming was also considered to do a lot better than they have. Now, their chances of advancing hinge on a slew of results going their way apart from having to win games of their own.

Biofrost’s performance in the Northern League of Legends has been promising. That they eliminated Barca eSports is a result they would perhaps look back as a turning point. Not only was it the biggest surprise of the tournament, but it also injected oodles of self-belief into them.

Their roster is a combination of experienced players from LCK and LEC, so it isn’t like they are spring chickens. Young bot laner Nata is developing fast into player teams will be wary of.

Rhuckz – LEC Material?

Biofrost will also do well to be wary of Rhuckz, who has had his best year so far in 2022. For a while later, he’s been spoken of as LEC material. During the regular season, his great form was one of the key reasons for Fnatic ending the regular split with a 16-2 record.

Are teams looking at him? They sure are. And he has few more opportunities to make amends.

Team ESCA Gaming vs Team BDS Academy Pick

Team BDS Academy

Team ESCA Gaming vs Team BDS Academy Predictions

Let’s get this straight. ESCA Gaming has underachieved. They may be staring at an exit, but it’s still not too late to turn the tide. No team has been more mercurial than them so far, a point well-reiterated by their victory over Fnatic TQ despite falling behind in the game at the beginning.

HARPOON led a terrific turnaround of sorts mid-game, to the extent that it caught Fnatic off guard. This also led to the baron Nashor boost twice, further causing quite a stir that eventually led to ESCA’s upset win.

So there is potential, and not all of it has been translated into performances so far. This contest is another opportunity to nudge ahead of BDS Academy and keep themselves in contention to finish in the top two to make it to the knockouts. ESCA isn’t just here to compete, they are also proudly representing the Ultra Liga.

BDS Need to Bounce Back From Shellacking

BDS Academy didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory in their previous. In what can best be described as a tardy effort, they fell by the wayside quite easily against Fnatic TQ. They’re over dependency on Crownshot hasn’t helped their cause. He was the lone bright spark in the offense, landing 7 kills, 4 deaths, and 3 assists.

Xico’s proficiency was offset by a high death rate that undid all his good work. Overall, BDS finished with 49.9k gold to Fnatic’s 60.4k gold. BDS also managed just 11 kills, eight fewer than their opponents. They also managed to capture just two towers to Fnatic’s 11. They were thoroughly outplayed in short.

Fnatic TQ vs ESCA Gaming Pick

Fnatic TQ

Fnatic TQ vs ESCA Gaming Predictions

Fnatic TQ probably needs to just win two out of the three remaining games to make it through to the knockouts. With a bit of luck, maybe even one win could do. ESCA can’t enjoy the same privilege. They need to ideally win all three, or at least two to get lucky.

How do they approach it? Do they play freely without any worry of consequences or do they play cautiously knowing they’re very much on the hunt? ESCA has struggled to find a pattern or style that suits their game so far.

When you take on the more established teams, this grey area has the potential to be amplified even more. On paper, it’s hard to look past Fnatic TQ. Expect them to eventually win. The crux of the contest will lie in how ESCA stretches the favored team.

New Heroes Emerge for Fnatic

They have had a fantastic maiden season in Spain’s LVP, winning the spring split 2022 before topping the charts at the playoffs. This made them the first seeds at the EU Masters. A reason for their success has been that Fnatic has found different players who have stood up for them at different times this EUM.

Against BDS, it was Bean’s turn to rise to the fore. He was the most proficient player of the contest, landing 7 kills, 3 deaths, and 5 assists, along with a creep score of 236. Maxi and Rhuckz played the support role to perfection, landing 10 and 14 assists respectively.

This innate ability of different players rising to the occasion at different times has helped them take giant leaps lately, and if they can continue in this vein, they could potentially be unstoppable looking at the knockouts and beyond.

The Oscarinin Effect

One of the heroes who has been mighty impressive is Oscarinin, who has dominated the Super Liga like no other. The top layer has gone from good to outstanding in a short time, and his landing numbers are proof enough. Before this tournament, he averaged +461 gold, and +362 experiences.

These stats are mind-boggling to say the least. Cabochard is the only other top laner who comes close to these numbers. That Oscarinin has managed to rack these numbers on his own, without much help from the junglers, makes it all the more staggering.

Team BDS Academy vs Biofrost Pick

Team BDS Academy

Team BDS Academy vs Biofrost Prediction

BDS Academy dearly wants to be getting into this contest with a 2-2 slate rather than 1-3. At the other side, Biofrost had an opportunity to make it 3-1 coming in, which could give them a foot in the door for the knockouts.

Either way, this promises to be a compelling contest between two evenly-matched teams coming to grips with their newfound stardom in the big lane. On paper, BDS hold the aces, but don’t put it past Biofrost to cause a stir.

Erdote’s Opportunity to Get Noticed

BDS have to prove they aren’t just about Crownshot. This has become symbolic of them – the over dependency, which we’ve highlighted earlier too. Erdote has the game but hasn’t quite shown the same level of consistency. This spring split, he averaged a kill participation of 74.1%, which is prolific, but he hasn’t backed those up with significant numbers at the EUM.

That said, it’s only now after four years of playing in the European Regional Leagues that he is finally being noticed by his team and the opponents as a key player. If he can raise his game up a few notches in these last two games, and help his team get to the knockouts, he would have proven he is ready for the bigger stage.

How to Watch EUM 2022 Spring Split